How To Lower Cholesterol With Diet

What are the causes?

High cholesterol often stems from multiple causes. The most common causes of high cholesterol are lifestyle choices and genetics.

Lifestyle choices like eating fatty foods, living a sedentary lifestyle, smoking, or drinking alcohol can lead to high cholesterol. Being overweight is also a major factor that can increase the risk of high cholesterol.

High cholesterol can also run in families, so those with a family history of high cholesterol should make sure to check their levels regularly. If you have a history of high cholesterol in your family, you should be especially careful about lifestyle choices that can lead to high cholesterol.

Your risk of high cholesterol can also increase as you age, and men are more likely to have high cholesterol than pre-menopausal women. Post-menopause, women often catch up and even exceed cholesterol levels seen in their male counterparts. Certain health conditions may also increase your risk.

What are the symptoms?

High cholesterol can go unnoticed because it doesn’t typically have any obvious symptoms. The silent nature of high cholesterol underlines the importance of regular health screenings, especially as you age or if you have a family history of the condition.

Catching elevated cholesterol levels early makes it easier to lower cholesterol levels before they become an issue. As mentioned, high cholesterol can increase your risk for heart disease and stroke. It’s essential to diagnose cholesterol issues so your provider can begin treatment as soon as possible.

Common treatments and medications (statins)

The two main treatments for high cholesterol are lifestyle changes and prescription medications called statins. Even if you’re prescribed statins, a heart-healthy lifestyle is recommended to help lower cholesterol levels.

Living a heart-healthy lifestyle means eating a heart-healthy, balanced diet, increasing physical activity, and cutting out smoking. If you need to lose weight, this should also be included in your treatment plan.

Statins are medications used to lower cholesterol. Not everyone with high cholesterol will be prescribed statins, as leading a heart-healthy lifestyle may be enough to control cholesterol levels. But, someone with high cholesterol will likely be prescribed statins if they fall into one or more of the following categories:

• Have known coronary artery or vascular disease
• Have Familial Hypercholesterolemia (LDL > 190 mg/dL)
• Have diabetes
• Have a 7.5% or greater risk of experiencing a heart or vascular event over the next 10 years (this is determined by a calculator that takes multiple risk factors into account)

In any case, statins should always be taken as recommended by your doctor, whether you fall into the above categories or not.

Popular Diet Plans

So, we know that a heart-healthy diet can help naturally lower cholesterol levels. But, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to adopt a popular diet plan to achieve the desired result. Let’s take a brief look at some of the most popular diet plans out there and discuss if they fit a heart-healthy cholesterol-lowering lifestyle.

Atkins

The Atkins diet is primarily focused on eating proteins and fats while avoiding high-carb items like pasta and fruits. Atkins is based on the idea that less carbs and more protein helps the body burn fat for energy instead of carbs. The focus on animal proteins and fats means this isn’t a recommended diet for high cholesterol. The saturated fats that come from animal sources are potent elevators of LDL cholesterol.

Keto

Keto, short for ketogenic, is another diet that focuses on low carbs and high levels of fat. The idea behind keto is to lose weight by causing the body to enter a fat-burning state via extreme carbohydrate deprivation. Like Atkins, the focus on high levels of fat means keto isn’t recommended for lowering cholesterol. Not only is saturated fat intake likely to raise LDL cholesterol (sometimes to stratospheric levels) this diet may also deprive your body of heart-healthy nutrients like fiber and antioxidants.

Plant-based, Vegetarian or Vegan

Plant-based, vegetarian, or vegan diets focus on cutting out animal-based products like meat and dairy. Vegan is the strictest diet and may be more difficult to sustain long-term. It’s also worth noting that some dairy products can provide heart-healthy nutrients.

With that in mind, plant-based and vegetarian diets can be very heart-healthy since they favor some of the most heart-healthy foods like nuts, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Although many people worry about protein intake, remember that all plants contain protein too! For example, on a per calorie basis, beef and broccoli deliver the same protein levels (you just have to eat much larger volumes of broccoli to get the same calories you’d get from a piece of steak).

Mediterranean or Pescatarian

The Mediterranean diet is also a more plant-based diet that focuses on vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, fruits, low-fat dairy, grains, fish, and only small amounts of meat. This diet is naturally high in heart-healthy dietary components like fiber, antioxidants, Omega-3s, and plant sterols. Out of all the diets, the Mediterranean diet may be the best choice as not only is it generally heart health promoting, but it is also relatively easy to maintain.

Paleo

The paleo diet focuses on eating foods that our hunter-gatherer ancestors could presumably access. This means foods like meat, fish, nuts, vegetables, eggs, and fruits. But, the diet leaves out farmed foods, like grains. Paleo involves eating a high amount of protein, but the higher saturated fat intake and lower fiber content make it not ideal for those trying to lower their cholesterol.

Whole 30

Whole 30 is a short-term diet that focuses on eating whole foods and eliminating certain foods like legumes, dairy, sugar, junk food, alcohol, and other items as defined by Whole 30’s elimination list. The diet then has you slowly reintroduce those foods after 30 days. The idea is that you can identify which foods don’t agree with your body or that may be contributing to chronic health issues.

Elimination diets are a common way to identify food sensitivities, so there’s nothing inherently wrong with Whole30. But, it’s not a long-term way to eat and it’s not sustainable. While you may try out Whole 30 if you think you have food sensitivities, it’s not recommended as a long-term solution.

Weight Watchers (WW)

Weight Watchers is a famous diet system that assigns points to foods. These points allow dieters on WW to eat their points for the day, which in theory helps them reduce caloric intake and lose weight.

But the point system sometimes miscategorizes foods that are healthy and the point system doesn’t apply to portion control. This means someone could binge on foods like rotisserie chicken while getting dinged for eating oatmeal. While Weight Watchers can be useful if you’re trying to reduce calories, it’s important to focus your points on foods that will give you a balanced and heart-healthy nutrition profile.

Why Restrictive Diets Don’t Work

The truth is, just because a diet is popular doesn’t mean it’s good for you or sustainable. Restrictive diets may lead to some short-term results, but they often set you up for failure in the long term. Extended cycles of restriction can create a sense of deprivation, which means it can eventually lead to overindulging when you drop the diet. So, the weight gets put back on - sometimes with a little extra.

Plus, there’s the fact that many restrictive diets aren’t ideal for heart health. If you have high cholesterol, it could have the opposite effect if you’re following a diet that encourages fats and leaves out essential nutrients like fiber and plant sterols.

A better approach to losing weight and eating heart-healthy is to make small, gradual, and sustainable changes to your eating. Concentrating on adding good foods in, rather than obsessing about taking bad things out can be a more positive way to approach this. After all, we only have so much room in our stomachs. If we’re adding good things in, there’s simply less room for the bad stuff. And when you eat to improve your health, the weight loss part comes naturally.

What is the Best “Diet” for High Cholesterol?

Out of the diets we covered today, the best diet for high cholesterol would be the Mediterranean diet, since it incorporates plenty of heart-healthy foods. It’s also well-balanced and the least restrictive, especially as compared to some of the fad diets.

Instead of choosing a restrictive diet that eliminates many healthy foods and leads to deprivation, it’s better to create a healthier relationship around food. One that views food as nourishment. Truthfully, viewing food as nourishment shouldn’t be a radical view change, because that’s literally what it does for our bodies! But you may be surprised at what a difference can make.

While we may have once viewed food solely as a means of survival, people who have access to plentiful food should view it as something they can enjoy while also fueling their bodies. Instead of wolfing down a frozen meal as fast as you can in front of the TV, cook with some fresh ingredients and eat with some soothing music playing. Instead of eating while on your phone, eat with some friends or family and enjoy a home-cooked meal. Even just the simple act of slowing down and paying attention to your food can make a difference.

In short, instead of trying the latest fad diet, just try eating whole, fresh foods that you can prepare simply at home. You may be surprised at how much more enjoyable eating can be, how much easier it is to stick to a healthy non-restrictive diet, and how much better you feel!

Foods To Eat

So, we know that we should be eating more whole and heart-healthy foods, but where do you start? To make things easy, here are some of the best heart-healthy foods to add to your next grocery haul:

Fruits:

• Avocado
• Tomatoes
• Oranges
• Blueberries
• Strawberries
• Dried figs
• Canned pumpkin
• Bananas
• Pomegranate seeds

Nuts, Legumes, Seeds:

• Chickpeas
• Navy beans
• Hemp seeds
• Chia seeds
• Walnuts
• Oats
• Flax seeds
• Red lentils

Vegetables:

• Arugula
• Spinach
• Winter squash
• Split peas
• Collard greens
• Artichoke hearts
• Cabbage
• Okra
• Edamame
• Carrots
• Sweet potatoes
• Onions and garlic

Whole Grains:

• Wild Rice
• Steel-cut oats
• Buckwheat
• Brown rice
• Quinoa
• Barley
• Bulgur wheat

Dairy:

• Low-fat or fat-free yogurt and kefir

Fish and Meats:

• Wild salmon
• Sardines
• Herring
• Chicken (in moderation)

Misc:

• Dark chocolate
• Green tea

Foods To Avoid

While it’s okay to enjoy the occasional treat in moderation, it’s important to be aware of the foods that can increase your risk of heart disease and raise cholesterol. Here are some foods you should avoid eating regularly or in excess:

Processed foods - It’s a good idea to try and minimize processed foods if possible. Processed foods often contain large amounts of added sugars, fats, and sodium.

Saturated fats - Saturated fats can raise LDL cholesterol levels. Saturated fats come from animal sources (butter, cheese, cream, the marbling in beef, the fat in chicken) and are often found in processed foods, fried foods, full-fat dairy items, and fatty meats.

Excessive sodium - Excessive sodium consumption can increase blood pressure levels, increasing the risk for heart disease. Try to avoid foods with high sodium levels like fast food, processed foods, lunch meats, and baked goods.

Sugary beverages and foods - Added sugar in sugary beverages and foods can increase blood sugar levels and lead to weight gain and inflammation. You can substitute sodas and other sugary drinks with water, unsweetened tea, and flavored water.

More Nutrition & Healthy Lifestyle Tips To Follow

Eating a balanced and healthy diet is important, but there are other lifestyle changes you can make to lead a healthier lifestyle. These changes include:

Regular physical activity - Regular exercise can boost heart health and help naturally lower cholesterol levels. Aim for about 30 minutes of walking, cycling, swimming, or other exercises on most days as your minimum. Ideally, get to 60 minutes per day.

Smoking and drinking - Smoking and alcohol consumption can adversely affect your health. Consider quitting smoking and if you drink, drink in moderation to help control cholesterol levels.

Stress management - Stress can have negative effects on mental and physical health. Engage in stress-reducing activities like meditation, yoga, breathing exercises, and spending time in nature.

Sleep - Sleep is essential for our mental and physical health. Make sure to implement healthy sleep habits and get enough sleep each night to give your mind and body the rest they need.

What Does a Cardiologist Eat in a Day?

Dr. Elizabeth Klodas is a preventive cardiologist and the founder and Chief Medical Officer of Step One Foods. So, what does a cardiologist like Dr. Elizabeth eat in a day? Here’s a brief breakdown of what a typical heart-healthy day might look like:

Oatmeal for breakfast - Steel-cut oats make for a great heart-healthy breakfast. Oats are filling and you can easily add other heart-healthy ingredients like berries, nuts, and fat-free yogurt. This makes it easy to customize and starts your day with fiber, antioxidants, and a tasty meal! You can even make overnight oats to make breakfast more convenient. Or do the easiest thing of all and open a packet of Step One Blueberry Cinnamon Instant Oatmeal.

A grain bowl for lunch - Whole grains like quinoa make a great mid-day meal. You can also add veggies and beans for more flavor and heart-healthy nutrients.

Salmon for dinner - A tasty baked or slow-roasted salmon is perfect for dinner, giving you protein and Omega-3 fatty acids that can help lower cholesterol. You can also pair your salmon with vegetables and whole grains to round off your balanced meal.

Step One Bars for snacks - Dr. Elizabeth Klodas started Step One Foods to use the power of foods and nutrition to help address high cholesterol. This is why Step One Foods snacks, like our bars, are the ideal snack. They also come in great flavors like Lemon Almond, Dark Chocolate Crunch, Apple Cinnamon, Dark Chocolate Walnut, and Peanut Butter.

About Step One’s Cholesterol-Lowering Foods

Step One Foods are clinically formulated to help lower cholesterol. Every serving contains plant sterols, fiber, antioxidants, and Omega-3 fatty acids. These are the essential heart-healthy nutrients that can help lower LDL cholesterol levels. Step One Foods also offers a variety of options, including bars, smoothies, pancake mixes, and oatmeal.

Incorporating Step One Foods into a heart-healthy diet is easy and convenient. Just enjoy two Step One Foods servings per day. After a minimum of 30 days, you can check your LDL levels with a blood test to see your results!